Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton (11 January 1757 – 12 July 1804) was the Secretary of the Treasury of the United States from 11 September 1789 to 31 January 1795, preceding Oliver Wolcott Jr., and he emerged as the leader of the Federalists in American politics during the 1790s and early 1800s. Hamilton, an immigrant to the Thirteen Colonies from the Danish island of St. Croix in the Caribbean Sea and a King's College law student, served as the aide-de-camp of General George Washington during the American Revolutionary War, being his right-hand man. Hamilton married Elizabeth Schuyler, the wealthy daughter of General Philip Schuyler, and he was a close friend of the Marquis de Lafayette, Lieutenant-Colonel Aaron Burr, the spy Hercules Mulligan, and the revolutionary John Laurens. Hamilton was a loud-mouth who was active in the independence cause since his days at King's College in 1776, and he rose up in the ranks as Washington's second-in-command, although Washington refused to give him a command. In 1780, he was dismissed due to his role in a duel between John Laurens and Charles Lee, but in 1781 Washington gave him a unit to command at the Siege of Yorktown. After the war, he was appointed Secretary of the Treasury by Washington, distinguishing himself as an outspoken liberal who wanted to abolish slavery and increase the role of the government in the affairs of the states. Hamilton's greatest rivals were Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and his former friend Burr, and in 1800 he helped Jefferson in beating Burr in the elections. In response, Burr challenged Hamilton to a duel in 1804 in Weehawken, where Hamilton's son Philip Hamilton had also been killed in a duel, and Hamilton was shot between the ribs and died. Biography Early lfe Alexander Hamilton was born on 11 January 1755 on the island of Nevis in the Caribbean Sea out of wedlock to James Hamilton, a Scotsman, and the French whore Rachel Faucette. His father left the family to spare Rachel a charge of bigamy, and Hamilton's mother took him to the Danish island of St. Croix; she died of fever in 1768, while Hamilton barely survived the illness. In 1771, he was put in charge of a trading charter called Beekman and Cruger at the age of fourteen, and he was an apprenticed carpenter while bartering or begging for money to survive. Hamilton sold sugarcane, rum, and other things that he could not afford, scamming people for money with which he could purchase more books, as he was an avid reader and an intelligent young man. New York City, 1776 ]]Hamilton later accumulated enough money to go to New York City in the United States, where he attended King's College on a scholarship after immigrating to America. Hamilton saved the loyalist King's College President Myles Cooper from an angry mob during the beginning years of the American Revolution, although Hamilton agreed with the pro-independence cause. Hamilton was known as a loud-mouth, an ambitious man, and a hothead, and he punched the bursar at the college after the bursar said that he was stupid for his desire to join the revolution. Hamilton later met Aaron Burr in the summer of 1776 in New York City, hoping to find out how he had graduated from college so quickly and have an accelerated course of study. The two of them quickly became friends, as both of them were orphans and were smart people, and Burr decided to buy Hamilton a drink. Hamilton was introduced to the Marquis de Lafayette, Hercules Mulligan, and John Laurens at the bar, and the group became close friends. Burr attempted to convince Hamilton that he should talk less and smile more, a strategy in politics that would ensure that he made no enemies, but Hamilton refuted this philosophy and decided to be very vocal about his beliefs. He dazzled his freinds with his oratory skills, as he was ambitious and a proud American, seeking to rise up against Great Britain and take his shot at fame like he desired. His freinds decided that he should be put in front of a crowd due to his oratory skills, and the ambitious Hamilton decided to join a volunteer militia with his friends. Hamilton, Lafayette, Mulligan, Burr, and Laurens drank to freedom and dreamed of dying for their cause, and Hamilton argued against Bishop Samuel Seabury, whose "Free Thoughts on the Proceedings of the Continental Congress" said that the Congress was promoting violence and bloodshed and did not speak for him, as they were playing a dangerous game. Hamilton argued against Seabury's hatred of Congress, saying that his dog spoke more eloquently than him (although their mange was the same), and reminding him of the American casualties in Massachusetts. Burr attempted to calm Hamilton down, but Hamilton told him to drop the niceties and allow him to argue, as he would rather be divisive and indecisive. Aide-de-camp to Washington Alexander Hamilton served in the Continental Army during the Battles for New York in late 1776, when General William Howe and 32,000 British troops landed in New York Harbor to take the city from the Americans. Hamilton had wished for a war since he was living in St. Croix, as it was the only way for a poor immigrant orphan to rise up, and he sought to either die in glory or rise up. General George Washington arrived in New York to make an all-out stand against the British despite being outgunned, outplanned, outnumbered, and outmanned, and he wanted a right-hand man; Aaron Burr said that he would make a good aide-de-camp for Washington, as he served as a Captain under Richard Montgomery until he was killed at the Battle of Quebec. Hamilton proposed stealing the British cannons and led a raid against the British, and General Washington invited Hamilton into his office to ask him if he wanted to join his staff. Nathanael Greene and Henry Knox wanted him to serve as their secretary, but Hamilton refused, and Washington decided to offer Hamilton a staff position. Hamilton was disappointed by being made a staff officer and not a commander, but he decided that it was his chance to rise in the ranks, and Hamilton agreed to not throw away his shot. Washington told Hamilton that he needed someone like him to lighten his load, as Congress had only given him one third of the troops that he needed. Hamilton told Washington that he needed men on the inside of the British, and Hamilton told him that he would organize Washington's information and write to Congress for more troops. Hamilton became Washington's right-hand man, fighting alongside him. Hamilton was so beloved and famous that the General's wife Martha Washington named her feral tomcat after him. Hamilton would not hold many commands, although he did fight alongside New York artillery at the battle of Trenton on 26 December 1776. Meeting Elizabeth Schuyler ]]In winter 1780, Hamilton and his friends attended a winter ball held by General Philip Schuyler to set their sights on his daughters Eliza, Peggy, and Angelica Schuyler, three very wealthy young women. Eliza was instantly attracted to him, and Angelica introduced Alexander to her sister after they met each other in a chance encounter in which Hamilton nervously dodged her question on where his family came from; Angelica took a liking to him, but Hamilton was instantly attracted when he spoke with Eliza. Hamilton told Eliza that it, if it took fighting a war for him to meet Eliza, it was worth it, and Hamilton fell in love with her. Hamilton was poor and had no acres of land, fame, a troop to command, or money, only having some college credits, but he flirted with the Schuyler sisters and refused to let his poor background stop him. Peggy confided in Alexander and Angelica tried to flirt with Hamilton, and he took a liking to the Schuyler family. Hamilton and Eliza fell in love, and Hamilton wanted them to buy a place in Harlem to live after the war, and they would marry on 14 December 1780; Hamilton feared that General Schuyler would not accept him, but the general shook his hand at the wedding. After a brief honeymoon, Hamilton had to return to the war in January 1781 as Washington's aide-de-camp, having conceived a son with Eliza. Petitioning for command Hamilton wrote in Washington's journal, and he met with his friends, who congratulated him. Aaron Burr even stopped by to congratulate him, and Hamilton convinced him to pursue the love of his life, Theodosia Bartow Prevost, even though Burr told him that she was married to a British officer. Theodosia wrote Burr a letter every day while her husband was fighting on the British side in the state of Georgia to keep the colonies in line, and Burr decided to wait for things to come to him instead. Later, he became the sole writer of Washington's journal after he became despondent due to the Americans being forced to eat their own horses at Valley Forge. Washington told Hamilton to outrun, outlast, and hit the British quick, while Lafayette would ask the Kingdom of France for assistance, Mulligan would spy on the British, and Laurens would write anti-slavery essays with Hamilton. ]]The rebels cut supply lines, stole contraband, and picked battles against the British, and Hamilton repeatedly asked to be given a command, but Washington dismissed him each time, and he made Charles Lee his second-in-command instead. 1,000 soldiers died in 100-degree heat, with Lee being dismissed after going against Washington's orders and ordering a retreat. Hamilton was sent to give Lafayette command, and they seized a stalemate from the jaws of defeat. Hamilton was angry at Lee, but he was unable to duel him due to Washington's orders; John Laurens instead agreed to do the duel against the unpopular Lee. Burr said that duels were immature, but Hamilton said that many people died because Lee was inexperienced, and he said that Lee would have to pay for his harsh words against Washington. Lee was shot in the side in the duel with Laurens, and Washington was angry. He had Burr tend to Lee, and he told Lee that the duelers did not work for him. Washington had Hamilton meet him inside, and Washington told Hamilton that he aggravated his allies in the south and had done several irresponsible things, even though Lee and Thomas Conway dragged Washington's name through the mud. Washington told Hamilton to stop talking, and Hamilton started mouthing off at Washington, telling him to stop calling him "son" and telling him that he did not have his land or titles, instead wanting command. Hamilton wanted to lead a battalion, and Washington told Hamilton that he needed to be alive and not die, and he told him to go home to his wife, as an order. Hamilton was forced to return to his wife, who told him that she had written to Washington to request him to be dismissed so that he could meet his son. Hamilton was angry that Eliza had written to the general a month ago and had not told him about Washington's decision in advance, but she told him that they were lucky to be alive and that he deserved to meet their son Philip. However, in October 1781 General Washington gave him command of a battalion at the Siege of Yorktown as Lafayette's French navy waited off the port of Yorktown to blockade Charles Cornwallis' British army at the port, as he needed another man to help him in the attack. Hamilton led his force in a night attack with the codeword of "Rochambeau", and their forces drew the British away as the French arrived; Hercules Mulligan, who was inside the British ranks, smuggled information to the Americans and helped them in the battle. After a week of battle, the British surrendered, and tens of thousands of people rallied to the streets and sang drinking songs to celebrate the victory of America over the British. Hamilton and his friends parted, with Lafayette bidding Hamilton farewell; Laurens was in South Carolina at the time, and he would be killed in 1782 in a skirmish with the British at the Combahee River. Law career ]]Hamilton returned home and watched his son Philip grow up, swearing that he would be around for his son, as he never had the joy of having a father in his life. Hamilton went back to New York with Burr, and the two of them worked in adjacent rooms with a law firm. Hamilton represented Levi Weeks in the first murder trial of the United States, and he angered Burr by assuming that he was the smartest person in the room, calling him "assistant counsel" instead of "co-counsel". He went to the Constitutional Convention as a junior delegate of New York in 1789 to help in the drafting of the Constitution, and he had a six-hour proposition for the structure of a new country. Burr was confused as to why Hamilton gave free ammunition to his enemies by always voicing his beliefs, but Hamilton later admitted that he was too abrasive and talked too much, and he said that Burr would be a better lawyer. However, Hamilton told him that he published anonymous essays about the Constitution, hoping to stop it from being such a mess and hoping to defend the Constitution. Hamilton joined James Madison and John Jay in writing the Federalist Papers, defending the Constitution, and they initially planned to write 25 essays, divided evenly; however, they wrote 85 essays in the span of six months. Jay got sick after writing 5, Madison wrote 29, and Hamilton wrote 51, showing his passionate beliefs that the country should assume state debts, be a centralized government, and unite all of the states. Washington later appointed him as Secretary of the Treasury when Hamilton asked whether he would be nominated as Secretary of State or the Treasury, and Hamilton assumed a cabinet position. Cabinet battles ]]In 1789, Hamilton faced a new opponent when Ambassador to France Thomas Jefferson returned to America from Paris as France moved towards the French Revolution, as he was to accept his Senate confirmation as Secretary of State. Jefferson returned to Monticello, his plantation, and Washington gave him an assignment right when he returned home. His new financial plan was nothing less than government control, and Jefferson and Madison worked together to stop his plans for the new country. Hamilton clashed with the other politicians at cabinet meetings, with his plan to assume state debt and establish a national bank leading to a large debate. Jefferson argued that life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness should be the priorities of the government, and he said that Virginia should not have to pay for New York debts; he argued that the South should not have to deal with problems in the North and should not be taxed to help northern problems. Jefferson said that Hamilton's plan was incomprehensible and that a tax on whiskey would lead to the people reacting as they did when the British taxed American tea. Hamilton was then given the floor, and he criticized Jefferson, saying that Jefferson should go back to Monticello, and he said that the Union would get a boost if they became competitive. Hamilton also spoke out against the south's use of slaves, and he said that Jefferson did not fight in the American Revolutionary War, while Hamilton almost died in a trench. Hamilton's insults were out of line, and Washington dismissed the cabinet meeting until a brief recess. Washington warned Hamilton that he did not have the votes for Congressional approval, and Hamilton apologized to Washington. Hamilton refused to let Congress be held hostage by the South, and Hamilton said that the southerners did not have a plan; Washington said that he had to figure out a compromise with the South. Hamilton's wife lived in England with their son an ocean away, and Hamilton visited their son on his ninth birthday, and his son impressed him with his knowledge of French and the piano. Angelica fell in love with Hamilton once more when he wrote "My dearest, Angelica", adding a comma between dearest and Angelica, changing the meaning. He went upstate with Angelica to Albany at her family's escape, and he longed for her while Eliza was in France. Hamilton-Reynolds Affair ]]While Hamilton was alone at his home, Maria Reynolds arrived at his house and told her that her husband beat her, cheated on her, and mistreated her, and Hamilton offered to walk Reynolds home. He gave her $30 to help her, and she led Hamilton to her home and had a sexual affair with him. Hamilton prayed to say no, but she looked so helpless and was attractive, so Hamilton gave in to passion and had an affair. A month into the endeavor, Maria's husband James wrote to Hamilton and told him that he had to pay him if he wanted to continue seeing his wife, or else he would tell Eliza. Maria apologized to Hamilton and asked him not to read, and a furious Hamilton later decided to continue the affair and stay with Reynolds. French Revolution In 1790, Hamilton met Burr once more and agreed to talk less and smile more in order to get his plan on the Congress floor. He agreed to the Compromise of 1790 with Jefferson and Madison at a private dinner, and Hamilton's financial plan was passed in exchange for the capital being moved from New York City to the new city of Washington DC, closer to Jefferson's home of Virginia. Burr was jealous of Hamilton being in the secret meeting, as he wanted to be in the "room where it happens". When his son Peter told him about an article in the newspaper that said that the war hero Philip Schuyler was defeated in the New York senate race by upstart Aaron Burr, Hamilton confronted Burr. When Burr revealed that he entered the Democratic-Republican Party only so that he could run against Schuyler, Hamilton began to mistrust Burr, as he was angry about his opportunism. When the French Revolution took place, a new argument began as Jefferson argued that America should fulfill its promise to give France aid in its revolution in exchange for France loaning money to America during the revolution. Jefferson struck at Hamilton, saying that he dressed like fake royalty, betrayed the ideals of the nation, and knew nothing of being loyal, and Hamilton responded by saying that Jefferson was out of his mind if he wanted to sign a treaty with the dead king and fight against Great Britain. Washington said that the Americans were too fragile to fight, and he said that the people in France were rioting, pointing out that there was no leader of France. Washington agreed that Hamilton should enact his declaration of neutrality, and Jefferson reminded Hamilton that he was nothing without Washington behind him. Jefferson blamed Hamilton for fracturing the cabinet into factions, and he sought a way to damage Hamilton's image with help from Madison and Burr. The southerners were angry that the immigrant had them on their toes, and they sought to end his influence. Retirement of Washington ]]Jefferson, Burr, and Madison planned to follow the money and see where it went, accusing Hamilton of being involved in embezzlement. They lamented that it was nice to have Washington on your side, and they schemed against him. Later, Washington called Hamilton to a meeting and warned him that Jefferson resigned as Secretary of State so that he could run for President. Washington told Hamilton that he needed him to draft an address that stated that he was stepping down as president, inviting him to have a drink with him one last time. Washington wanted to go against partisan fightingin the government, talking about the wisdom that he had learned in office, and giving one last speech to the American public to teach them how to say goodbye. On 19 September 1796, the letter was written, and Washington retired to his Mount Vernon plantation. The Adams Administration ]]John Adams was elected as President of the United States after Washington retired, and King George III of Great Britain was happy that Adams had been elected, as America would tear itself apart with the lawyer as president. Hamilton founded the US Coast Guard and The New York Post around this time, but Adams and Hamilton had an argument. Due to Jefferson being the runner-up, he was also Vice-President; Adams fired Hamilton and called him "a Creole bastard", leading to Hamilton writing down his response: "Sit down, you fat motherfucker". Hamilton went out of control, and Jefferson was happy that Hamilton was out of power and had destroyed Adams as well, leaving the Federalists leaderless. Hamilton later argued with Jefferson, Burr, and Madison when he paid money to James Reynolds to prevent Reynolds from blackmailing him, with the three Anti-Federalists accusing Hamilton of embezzling the money. Hamilton told them that he could prove that he did not break the law, and he gave Reynolds' letter to them. Afraid that the three men would lie using the information, Hamilton decided to set himself straight and stop his good name from being sullied, writing "The Reynolds Pamphlet" to confess about his affair with Reynolds. His personal reputation was ruined, and Eliza burnt all letters with Hamilton and erased herself from the narrative, destroying Hamilton's chance at being redeemed by future historians. Death of Philip Hamilton ]]Years later, Hamilton's son Philip, who was growing into a young man, sought out George Eacker, who had spoken on 4 July and disparaged his father's legacy in front of a crowd. Philip Hamilton visited Eacker's box on Broadway as he visited a play after flirting with some women and making advances, and Philip warned Eacker that he should have watched his mouth. Eacker called him and his father a scoundrel, and they challenged each other to a duel. Alexander Hamilton gave his son advice, telling him to negotiate a peace, and Philip told his father that the duel was in New Jersey. Hamilton told his son to fire his weapon in the air when the time came to end the whole affair, but he risked Eacker shooting him; Alexander told him that a man of honor would follow suit. Philip Hamilton and George Eacker went straight to a duel and skipped the pleasantries and, on the count of seven, Eacker shot Hamilton before the countdown was over. Alexander collapsed out of sheer shock after finding out that his son had been shot, and he lay dying with his father and mother at his side. His horrified mother counted to nine with him in French as he was dying, reminding them of when he was little, and he died of his wounds. Eliza and Alexander moved to Uptown Manhattan after Philip's death, and he begged for his wife's forgiveness; she eventually decided to forgive her husband. Election of 1800 Jefferson ran against Burr in the election, with the two factions of the Democratic-Republicans fighting against each other and Burr openly campaigning against Jefferson. Burr had no clear views, but he was a less-extreme version of Jefferson, giving him popularity; people believed that he was a person that they could drin with. Some people advised Jefferson to get Hamilton on his side, and Hamilton decided to throw his support to Jefferson due to being angered by Burr having no clear views. Burr expected that he would be named Vice-President, but Jefferson did not want a man who had openly campaigned against him to be his Vice-President; he decided to change the law requiring the runner-up to be Vice-President. Burr-Hamilton duel of 1804]]Burr was furious about Hamilton helping Jefferson against him, and he exchanged hostile letters with Hamilton. Burr said that he had the honor to be Hamilton's servant, and Hamilton said that he would not equivocate on his opinion about Burr, saying that he was just trying to do the best for his republic and was doing what was right; Burr responded by saying that Hamilton had to answer to his accusations, and Hamilton said that his grievances were legitimate, and he said that Burr stood only for himself. Burr challenged him to a gun duel in Weehawken at dawn, and Hamilton lovingly complimented his wife before leaving the house early in the morning for an early "meeting". He called his wife "the best of wives and best of women", and he headed to Weehawken to duel against Burr. Hamilton had Nathaniel Pendleton as his number two, while Burr had William P. Van Ness as his second. Hamilton drew first position after surveying the land, and he wore glasses, intending to take deadly aim against Burr. Hamilton was struck by Burr's shot as he aimed his gun in the air, and he thought about John Laurens leading a soldiers' chorale on the other side of life, seeing his son and mother as well. Hamilton was hit between the ribs, and Burr was ushered away before he could walk towards Hamilton, and Burr got a drink on the other side of the Hudson. There was wailing in the streets, and a person told Burr to hide. Eliza and Angelica were at Hamilton's side as he died, and he died on the afternoon of 12 July 1804. 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